4 Facts About Color That Everyone Should Know!

As you already know, I am putting together a design plan for our master bedroom closet . I have an idea for a closet organization unit, a ceiling design, and now I have to think about a color scheme.

If you have ever been to paint stores, then you know how confusing it can be to select a paint color. The choices are endless; warm or cool colors, bright or dull colors, dark or light colors!! Which one should you choose? An understanding of how light affects color, which in turn affects space and mood, will hopefully help with the decision. 🙂

How does light affect color?

Fact#1: Colors are affected by the time of day and orientation of the room they are in.

• Rooms facing South receive intense, warm light, so they will make colors appear warm and bright.
• Rooms facing North receive cold light, so they will make colors appear cool and muted.
• Rooms facing East receive warm morning light then turn cooler as the day goes by.
• Rooms facing West receive cool (no morning) light then turn warmer as the day goes by.

Tip: Paint a small rectangle on different walls to observe how the new color would look throughout the day.

Example of north facing room:

San francisco interior designer Brian Dittmar Design, Inc.

Example of South facing room:

{If you are interested to learn more about how light affects color schemes, click here}

How does Color affect space?

Fact #2: Warm colors {Red, Orange and yellow} appear larger, heavier and tend to advance while cool colors {green, purple and blue} appear smaller, lighter and tend to recede. Therefore, rooms painted in warm colors appear smaller than rooms painted in cool colors.

Fact#3: Light color values open up spaces so rooms appear larger while dark color values advance so rooms seem smaller.

How does color affect mood?

Fact #4: Warm colors are stimulating while cool colors are relaxing.

{If you like a detailed look at the psycological effect of certain colors, click here}.

So,

Our closet is almost 10’x 9′, with a south-west facing window, and a vaulted ceiling. Keeping the color facts in mind, I need a color that is stimulating {to wake us up in the morning} and light in value {to expand the space}. I have an idea about the color I am going to use, but you will have to be patient until I complete my design plan. 🙂

P.S. All Photos from Houzz.com 

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